Transcript Traveler's Insurance Company executives wanted to increase

Job design
What is job design and why is it important?
 What are the approaches used in designing
jobs?

Job design
What is a job?
 What is job design?
 Job design approaches

 Scientific
management approaches.
 Psychological approaches.
Scientific management approach
A.K.A. as industrial engineering.
 Focus on efficiency.
 Job simplification is one method.

Psychological approach

Motivation results from work that provides
intrinsic rewards.
 These
rewards satisfy higher-order needs of
esteem and growth.

The job characteristics model follows the
psychological approach to work redesign
(see Exhibit 14.8).
 Core
job dimensions
 Critical psychological states/outcomes
 Employee growth-need strength.
Core job dimensions

Examine job traits to determine job’s
motivational potential.
 Skill
variety
 Task identity
 Task significance
 Autonomy
 Feedback
Skill variety
Number of different skills and talents
required.
 Job rotation is one method.

Task identity
Degree to which an employee performs a
total job with a recognizable beginning and
end.
 Job enlargement is one method.

Task significance
Degree to which the job is perceived as
important and having impact on the
company or consumers.
 Job enlargement can also increase task
significance.

Autonomy
Degree to which the worker has freedom,
discretion, and self-determination in
planning and carrying out tasks.
 One method that attempts to increase job
autonomy is job enrichment.

Feedback
The extent to which the job provides
information back to the employee about his/
her performance.
 When job design itself cannot provide direct
feedback, need to obtain feedback from
supervisors or peers.

Critical psychological states/outcomes

Intrinsic rewards from job traits
 Skill
variety, task identity, and task
significance-> experienced meaningfulness of
work.
 Autonomy -> experienced responsibility.
 Feedback -> knowledge of work results.

The psychological states leads to personal
and work outcomes
Employee growth-need strength
 Moderating
factor: people have different needs
for growth and development.